Ecology

Question 1

What is a community?

Answer 1

All the populations of different species that live together in a habitat

Question 2

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 2

the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment.

Question 3

What are 4 things animals compete for?

Answer 3

food
water
mates
territory

Question 4

What are 4 resources plants compete for?

Answer 4

water
mineral ions
light
space

Question 5

What are 3 biotic factors?

Answer 5

disease
availability of food
predators

Question 6

What are 4 abiotic factors?

Answer 6

mineral ions in soil
soil pH
wind intensity
temperature
light intensity

Question 7

What does the term ‘structural adaptations’ refer to?

Answer 7

The physical features of the organism

Question 8

What are 2 examples of structural adaptations?

Answer 8

the shape of an organism
the colour of an organism

Question 9

What does the term ‘behavioural adaptations’ refer to?

Answer 9

the way an organism acts

Question 10

What is an example of a behavioural adaptation?

Answer 10

The response of an organism when it sees a predator

Question 11

What does the term ‘functional adaptations’ refer to?

Answer 11

The processes that take place within an organism

Question 12

What is an example of functional adaptation?

Answer 12

How an organism metabolises chemicals

Question 13

Some species of bird migrate to different regions of the world at certain times of the year.

Which type of adaptation is this?

Answer 13

bahavioural

Question 14

Some species of snake have bright and distinct patterns on their scales to warn other species that they are venomous.

Which type of adaptation is this?

Answer 14

structural

Question 15

What is an extremophile?

Answer 15

Extremophiles are microorganisms that live in extreme environments, such as those with high temperatures, pressures, or salt concentrations.

Question 16

What type of organisms are extremophiles?

Answer 16

bacteria and archaea

Question 17

What is a food chain?

Answer 17

A model that shows how energy passes from organism to organism

Question 18

What are Organisms at the very start of a food chain that can create glucose using photosynthesis known as?

Answer 18

producers

Question 19

What are 2 producers?

Answer 19

algae
plants

Question 20

What do primary consumers feed on?

Answer 20

Producers

Question 21

What do tertiary consumers eat?

Answer 21

secondary consumers

Question 22

What are quadrats used for?

Answer 22

to measure abundance

Question 23

What are transects used for?

Answer 23

to measure how distribution changes

Question 24

Describe how you might use a 1m x 1m quadrat to estimate the number of dandelions in a 100m x 100m field.

Answer 24

1Place multiple tape measures along the length and width of the field, forming a large grid.

2Use a random number generator to generate 10 pairs of random coordinates.

3Place quadrats at those coordinates and count how many dandelions are found in each quadrat.

4Calculate the mean number of dandelions per m2.

5Estimate the total population size using our mean number of dandelions per m2 and the total area of the field.

Question 25

What are usually the dimensions of a quadrat?

Answer 25

1m x 1m

Question 26

What is a transect?

Answer 26

A line through a habitat along which organisms are sampled

Question 27

Which three processes in the carbon cycle release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Answer 27

Decomposition Combustion Respiration

Question 28

What 2 groups of organisms carry out discomposition?

Answer 28

detritivores and decomposers

Question 29

What are detritivores?

Answer 29

small animals like worms and woodlice that feed on dead organic matter

Question 30

What are decomposers?

Answer 30

microorganisms like bacteria and fungi

Question 31

What are 3 factors that effect the rate of decomposition?

Answer 31

oxygen availability temperature water

Question 32

Why could the rate of decomposition fall if soil becomes waterlogged?

Answer 32

(Water fills the air gaps within the soil, so there will be) less oxygen Less aerobic respiration Fewer chemical reactions and thus slower decomposition

Question 33

What is compost made of?

Answer 33

dead plants

Question 34

What is anaerobic decay?

Answer 34

Some decomposing microorganisms can break down organic material without oxygen. In these cases, the microorganisms carry out anaerobic respiration and so it is called 'anaerobic decay'.

Question 35

What is the mixture of gases anaerobic decay produces called?

Answer 35

biogas

Question 36

What is the most important biogas?

Answer 36

methane

Question 37

What are biogas generators?

Answer 37

large containers in which animal or plant waste is left to decay anaerobically.

Question 38

What useful things do biogas generators produce?

Answer 38

biogas (methane) Once the biogas is removed from the tank, a sludgy material is left over, which contains a high density of useful minerals. This can be spread on fields like fertiliser.

Question 39

Give three reasons why maintaining high biodiversity is important.

Answer 39

It increases the stability of the ecosystem, so that changes are less likely to have adverse affects Many species provide specific services, such as pollination Many of our medicinal drugs come from wild species

Question 40

What are 2 impacts of rapid human growth?

Answer 40

More resources are being used More waste is being produced

Question 41

What 2 substances contribute the most to water pollution?

Answer 41

fertiliser from agriculture sewage from cities

Question 42

What 2 substances contribute the most to air pollution?

Answer 42

Acidic gases from burning fossil fuels Smoke from combustion

Question 43

What 2 substances contribute the most to land pollution?

Answer 43

nuclear waste landfill

Question 44

Which sort of species do breeding programs seek to help?

Answer 44

those that face extinction

Question 45

How do field margins and hedgerows in agriculture help increase biodiversity?

Answer 45

They provide extra habitats and food sources so that a wider range of species can survive.

Question 46

What are 3 greenhouse gases?

Answer 46

methane carbon dioxide water vapour

Question 47

Give three reasons for deforestation.

Answer 47

To clear land for agriculture Logging for wood Mining

Question 48

What is the soil of peat bogs like?

Answer 48

waterlogged acidic

Question 49

Do peat bogs have high or low levels of oxygen?

Answer 49

low

Question 50

Which two human activities contribute to peat bog destruction?

Answer 50

Draining the peat to use the land for agriculture Cutting out the peat to burn as a fuel

Question 51

What is peat?

Answer 51

build up of partially rotted plants that form peat

Question 52

Why is peat good?

Answer 52

it holds all the carbon dioxide from the dead plants

Question 53

Explain how draining peat bogs contributes to global warming.

Answer 53

The draining of water allows air (and oxygen) to return to the soil This allows microorganism to carry out aerobic respiration and decay the organic matter This releases CO2 which acts as a greenhouse gas, and contributes to global warming

Question 54

Which trophic level contains secondary consumers?

Answer 54

Trophic level 3

Question 55

Why are food chains usually no longer than five or six trophic levels?

Answer 55

Only ~10% of the energy and biomass is transferred between each level

Question 56

Roughly what proportion of energy biomass is transferred between trophic levels?

Answer 56

10%

Question 57

Give three reasons why only ~10% of the energy & biomass is passed on at each stage in a food chain?

Answer 57

not everything may be eaten some material eaten may not be absorbed most the energy that is absorbed is used for movement and faeces etc.

Question 58

How do sustainable fisheries contribute to the maintenance of fish stocks?

Answer 58

By implementing fishing quotas for responsible harvesting

Question 59

What is the purpose of increasing the size of fishing nets?

Answer 59

To allow young fish to escape

Question 60

What is the purpose of fishing quotas?

Answer 60

To maintain balanced ecosystems

Question 61

What are the 2 key features of food security?

Answer 61

Sustainable for the planet into the future Access enough safe and nutritious food to meet their requirements for a healthy life

Question 62

How could the spread of pathogens across the world affect food security?

Answer 62

they could damage/kill plants which would decrease their yield so there would be less food available

Question 63

Give 2 ways in which changing diets could negatively affect food security.

Answer 63

Increased consumption of resource intense foods such as meat Increased consumption of foods that have to be transported long distances across the world

Question 64

Give 3 factors that could negatively affect food security.

Answer 64

Rising populations Changing diets Pests and pathogens Environmental change (higher temperatures, droughts, floods, changing rainfall etc) More expensive agricultural inputs (like fuels, pesticides, fertilisers etc) Conflicts/wars

Question 65

What is food security?

Answer 65

all people are able to access enough safe and nutritious food to meet their requirements for a healthy life, in ways the planet can sustain into the future.

Question 66

Over the past 200 years, why has the food that we eat become more intensive to produce?

Answer 66

Our diets have changed to include food that require more land and resources to produce. For example we consume more meat and fewer grains.